Daily Tip: How to enable group MMS text messaging

Have you ever wondered how to send a text message to several people and have their replies reach the whole group? This feature is known as group messaging. To learn exactly what group messaging entails and how to enable it, follow along after the break!

Enabling group messaging is a simple task; but first, let's make sure you understand exactly what group messaging is. Basically, this setting controls whether or not the complete address list is sent to everyone in the group.

When OFF, each recipient will be unaware that anyone else received the same message.

If you have group messaging set to ON, but your recipient does not, then that recipient will not see the group list.

If both you and the recipient have group messaging enabled, then all recipients are displayed.

When a recipient of the message replies, it is sent to all members of the group.

All messages are included in a single thread and the senders' names will be displayed above each message.

If Group Messaging is enabled, messages sent to the group are billed as a single message.

Now that it's understood what all that group messaging entails, how do you enable it? Simple:

Launch Settings

Tap Messages

Toggle "Group Messaging" to ON

There you have it! Now you're ready to partake in group text conversations. Have fun and let us know if you have any questions!

UPDATE: Our commenters have pointed out that this feature appears to be

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Former app and photography editor at iMore, Leanna has since moved on to other endeavors. Mother, wife, mathamagician, even though she no longer writes for iMore you can still follow her on Twitter @llofte.

That's not the same as group messaging because the entire recipient isn't sent out. And I believe each recipient would be considered a separate message as well. With group messaging, it only counts as 1 message on your bill.

If they have group messaging enabled, they will see the entire recipient list and know it's a group message. If they do no have it enabled, it will be treated as an individual message for that recipient.

Leanna, maybe you should research this a bit more to find out why there are so many variations in this feature (if it's carrier specific, if it's iOS specific, how texts are billed, if all parties have to enable it to take advantage of the features, etc...) and then post an update.
This could be potentially costly and embarrassing for people who are not fully informed.

Is there a way to make a group in contacts, so that when I need to send a group text I don't have to add each person individually to the message ? Basically I want to create a group in contacts, then launch SMS and type that group's name, type the message and send.

Does anyone know how this works with non iPhones?? I've read about issues when sending group texts to, say, Blackberrys and iPhones. I think the Blackberry won't see the message, just some weird MMS notice or something? And I think windows phone gets the message fine, but without group messaging recognition, i.e. no 'reply-all' feature.
It would be GREAT if group messaging worked seamlessly across carriers and different phones (or if iPhone could get something like BBM!). Alas, the competition between phone makers/carriers continues :/

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Ok so I have my group messaging turned off...I received what I thought was a text from my friend sent only to me...I responded to her text...almost right after I received a text from a number I didn't know...keep in mind these texts are separate...after talking to my friend I discovered she had sent the original text as a group text and everyone who responded had their response go to everyone who received the original message...that includes my response that I had thought was only going to her because like I said the text for me came through in my regular thread of ours not in a new "group text" so my question is are my future text messages to her going to be shared with the whole group? Since it didn't come in a separate text how does it work exactly? ( sorry so long but kinda complicated and hope I expelled it well enough :)

I had this happen to me several times, and its really annoying because you don't know that its going to reply to everyone that the original sender sent to....until after you reply! i would delete the thread that has the group message, and turn group messaging off. Thats what i finally had to do. I guess I will turn it back on if i want to group message, but until then I can't have it on or who knows who all i'll be replying to. ITS ANNOYING. did i say that already?

My problem exactly! I don't want anyone else to see my reply except for the sender. Half of those people don't even know me. Has anyone figured out how to respond to group text without having to explain to several other people for the next 20 mins who you are?

This has happened to me twice now. I spent a bunch of time replying to "Who is this" messages with an explanation of what happened. I think you need to be aware of who is in the recipients list, and start a new message if you don't want everyone to see your reply. Kind of kludge.

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If you have iphone 4, go to messages, click "messages" in upper left corner, then new message symbol in upper right corner, then type first recipient initial and pick from drop list, then pick second recipient initial and pick name from drop list. As soon as you make the 2nd contact selection, it converts the msg to "New Group MMS" Good Luck!

I am wondering if I choose the "OFF" setting for group messaging, will I still recieve a group msg sent to me? And if I do, and I reply (with setting still "OFF") will it go to all in group, or just the original sender? Thanks!

I'm having a problem with my iPhone 4S. When an iPhone carrier starts a group message, he'll create one with not only iPhones, but also non iPhones. When those sort of messages are created, I don't get any texts from that group message. But all the other iPhones in that group message will get the message. How can I start to get group messages from not only iPhones?

There are some newer group messaging apps (like grouptime) which have far more features (send locations, multiple photos, custom fonts, links with previews) and better settings (e.g. they easily allow to leave group chats).
There is a blog that regularly writes about new instant messaging apps for iOS and Android: www.messaging-apps.com